How to Transfer Google Authenticator to a New Android Phone?
Written By Axel Nash |
However, when you want to move from one phone to another, you need to transfer Google authenticator on the new phone to avoid blocking out your accounts. So, you can be looking to transfer Google authenticator to a new phone or Google authenticator to a new phone without an old phone in case of phone loss or theft.
Today, we will discuss all aspects of recovering Google authenticator on Android phones. You can find a detailed tutorial for iPhone users at transfer Google Authenticator to the new iPhone.
Part 1: How do I transfer my Google Authenticator to my new Android phone?
Before starting the tutorial, we need to firmly endorse that you cannot simply log out from Google Authenticator and sign in to another to transfer your account details there. It is a more elaborate system, and you need to remember that you do not delete Google Authenticator from your old phone until you have successfully configured it on your new phone. So, let's start the step-by-step process of transferring Google Authenticator on a new phone.
- Step1: Launch the Google Authenticator app on your mobile phone.
- Step2: Open the drop-down menu by clicking the three dots in the screen's upper-right corner.
- Step3: Here, you will see a link labeled "Export Accounts'' or "Transfer Accounts ."Click on this link.
- Step4: Read the informational text and click continue or Export Accounts to move on.
- Step5: At this stage, you might be asked to confirm your identity again through biometric information or PIN.
- Step6: Choose the accounts you want to copy; you can choose some of them or all at once.
- Step7: Click the Export button.
- Step8: Launch Google Authenticator, click Get Started, and then click Import Existing Accounts on your new phone. Now, scan the code.
- Step9: Here begins the real deal; you will see a QR code on the screen of your old phone. You will scan this code with your new phone that you prepared in the previous step, and you will repeat this step for each account.
- Step10: When you are done with all accounts, click the next button on your old phone.
- Step11: You can either remove all accounts from your old phone or leave them there. If you are selling your phone or handing it over to someone else, it is recommended to remove them all. Alternatively, if you want to use both of your phones, you can keep them all or some of the accounts configured on the old phone.
Part 2: How do I transfer Google Authenticator to a New Phone without an Old Phone?
Ok, the last section was pretty easy, but what do I do if I want to transfer google authenticator to a new phone without an old phone? I lost my old phone. Do I stand a chance?
Well, yes. There is a chance of recovery, and you can do it easily. You can easily enter those on your new device in your Google account when you have your backup codes. Here is how you go by it step by step.
- Step1: Log into your Google account and click on the Security link.
- Step2: Now, go to the 2-Step Verification part below and enter your password.
- Step3: On your next screen, go to the backup codes area in the lower part of the page.
- Step4: You can see a "Show Codes" link and add the codes to the new account.
You can go up to 10 codes here and use each of them once. You can click the Show codes link and get new codes for using the new code.
Part 3: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is Google Authenticator Safe?
The Google authenticator relies on the secret key generated every 30 seconds. Consequently, even if an attacker gets hold of your basic login details, including your password, they cannot intercept the code sent from the application to cross-check your account's login. Realistically, this is not possible. So, no doubt, Google Authenticator is a strong shield for your accounts.
However, we have seen various attempts to hack Google authenticator, and there are some successful attempts. The bottom line here is to keep an eye on and be careful even when using Google Authenticator as your first line of defense. We already discussed the tip to always transfer Google Authenticator from an old phone to a new phone while selling it.
2. How to Set up Google Authenticator on Multiple Devices?
There are two methods to use Google Authenticator on multiple devices. You can register a separate authentication mechanism or synchronize and get the same codes on multiple devices. We discussed the possibility in part one in the last step.
3. How to Set up Google Authenticator on Your New Phone?
To set up Google Authenticator on your phone on both Android and iPhone, follow the step-by-step tutorial on setting up and using Google Authenticator.
Conclusion
We started with login and password and moved on to authentication sent through SMS. Gradually, even this became obsolete, and hackers could get hold of the SIM cards and intercept the SMS communication. So, Google authenticator came into the scene with two-factor authentication and made things secure. However, keeping your Google Authenticator account secure is important even when you lose your phone or switch to a new phone. The step-by-step tutorial above shows how to transfer a google authenticator new phone without an old phone and how to move your google authenticator on the new phone.
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Axel Nash
staff Editor